A Rose Among Thorns
by myzoey88
Summary: Ginny is tired of being protected. She wants to do what she can and what she wants. When Harry seems to forget that he is dating her, she decides to make a splash.
1. The Final Straw

"Shh!" Someone whispered. "She's right over there!"

"How long has it been now?" another voice asked, "two months? Or has it been more?"

Ginny shut her book with a snap. She was in her sixth year at Hogwarts and her third month re-dating famous Harry Potter. She was used to the whispers by now; they generally didn't annoy her, but today she was in a bad mood and was fed up with the constant flow of comments about her and Harry's supposed love life.

"Why do they always think I can't hear?" She asked loudly. She heard scraping of chairs behind her as the whispering girls ran for it; Ginny was known for her temper.

Her friend Lauren looked at her, her dirty blonde hair swinging in front of her face. Pushing it back she said, "At least they're getting more civil. Well, it's not like they could get any less, seeing as they had you and Harry in bed the first week." Ginny glared at her. "What?" She asked indignantly. "It's the truth! It's not like you don't know."

Leaning back in her chair, Ginny sighed. She did know, all too well. She looked at her friends sitting around the table. These four girls were great; she really didn't know what she would do without them.

Jackie looked up from her potions essay. "Are you done with your potions?" She asked.

Ginny shook her head. "No, but I don't think I can concentrate right now. I think I might go try to get some sleep."

Des grinned. "Wow, Potter must have kept you up late if you're going to bed at noon on a Saturday! What was it, the room of requirement?"

Ginny glared and sighed again. "Yes," she said, "but he actually wanted to talk. Unusual for him; I'm normally the one who wants to talk."

Lauren groaned in sympathy. "Let me guess, he was being noble again."

"Yes! I'm so sick of it! I get it from him and my family! 'Ginny, you should stay home; I don't want you to get hurt.' 'Ginny, I can't date you because you'll get hurt.' 'Ginny, you can't come, you're not old enough!' I'm sick of being protected! I'm plenty able to take care of myself!" Ginny hissed, mimicking her father's, Harry's, and her brother's voices.

Lizzy reached out and took Ginny's hand, trying to sooth her friend. Sharing a meaningful look with the other three girls, she whispered, "I'm sure they'll see that soon."

"No they won't. It's been that way my entire life." She stuffed her books in her bag and walked out of the library.

When she reached the common room, she noticed Harry in a deep conversation with Ron and Hermione. Sighing, she walked over. As she approached Hermione looked up but didn't seem to see her; Ginny noticed extra lines in her face and something in her eyes that normally only existed the week before exams and she realized how stressful this Voldemort thing had been on her. Hermione looked back down at the map Harry was studying.

"But we have found the one at the cave!" Harry was saying, frustrated. "Don't you think he would hide the other horcr-," he broke off. "Ginny, I thought you were studying in the library."

"That was three hours ago," she pointed out, "I'm done now."

"Wha-," he looked at his watch, "oh. Well, we're kind of busy here." He commented, a bit taken aback that it was already noon.

"It's alright." Ginny said, sitting on the couch next to him. "I won't bug you."

"Ginny." He muttered. "Really, we're busy here."

"I'm just going to go to sleep. Don't mind me." She murmured.

"Ginny," Harry said, looking at his friends for help. They looked down or away. "Please Ginny, this is private. Could you please leave?"

Ginny felt her throat constrict. She was not normally one for crying, but every time she heard those words, her heart broke a little crack. If this kept up, it would be broken clean in half by next week. "Fine," She whispered, "But when you actually want to talk to me, like actually talk, not just warn me about staying safe, maybe I won't feel so inclined to listen. I'm sick of being the last resort. You only talk to me if you need something, an excuse to get out of class, or a distraction while you sneak away to do whatever you do in Hogsmead; that, or if you want to tell me to stay safe. You have no time for me anymore." Ginny felt the tears coming. She took off for her dormitory, leaving the three sitting there in shock. She collapsed on her bed and let them come, and for the first time in a long, long while, allowed herself to feel.


	2. Memories

**I want to thank all you you who read this story so far, and especially those who are back to read the second chapter! It is so exciting to have my first story posted one day and already see people reading it! And my first review! Thank you LesPetitesPoupees so much! It makes me feel so good to know that my writing isn't complete crap! **

**I'm going to be gone for about the next week and I don't know what kind of internet access I'll have. I promise to keep writing, but I don't know if I'll be able to post anything. It never hurts to check though!**

**and now, chapter 2!**

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**Chapter 2: Memories**

Ginny looked at her watch; it was eleven. Harry had promised to meet her an hour ago. She took a deep breath as she felt a tear slip down her cheek. She had been foolish to believe that this might have turned out different than every other time, just because he said he felt sorry. She laid her head against the window pane and breathed on the glass, causing it to fog over and block her view of the dark world below. She was sitting in a room she and Harry had called their own for quite a while, ever since the first time they dated. He broke up with her over the summer, because he felt she was going to get hurt if he kept dating her. Sometimes she wondered if it had been idiotic to wait for him, even insist that they get back together. It didn't seem like he really wanted it. He obviously had last year. They had found the room on one of their middle of the night excursions. They had wandered into the astronomy tower and stumbled across a room that was a bit of a strange sight. It was like one of the common rooms, but bare of any house colors. Instead, it was all Hogwarts things; everything bore the Hogwarts crest. There was a door leading off into a hallway with two bedrooms and a bathroom. They had been a little puzzled, but soon came to guess that it was some form of guest quarters. In one of the bedrooms, Ginny had found the place she was now sitting; a small, padded window seat overlooking the lake. It was one of her favorite places in the entire school. She started coming there, even without Harry, when she need some time to think, or her school work became stressful. This time was for a totally different reason. This time she had been forgotten.

Covering her first with her sweater, Ginny wiped her breath off the glass. Laying her forehead once again on the window, she closed her eyes, happily reliving the memories from a mere six months earlier.

The next thing she knew, a gentle hand was shaking her awake. "Ginny," a soft voice called, "Ginny, wake up."

Groggily, she opened her eyes. The voice had been Harry's. Ginny glanced at her watch and gasped, it was one o'clock! Then she looked at the boy that had just awakened her. And it dawned on her that he was three hours late, anger rose up in her like a roaring fire, burning away all traces of sleep. Her eyes narrowed. "You," she snarled, "get away from me."

Harry backed up quickly. "Ginny," he said cautiously, "I'm very, very sorry. I meant to make it on time, I really did! I just got held up by some stuff."

Getting to her feet, Ginny laughed humorlessly. "Oh, and I'm guessing this is more stuff you can't tell me, isn't it?"

She was advancing on him and he continued to back up until his back was pressed firmly against the wall. "Please Ginny! Listen to me! I really wish I could have come sooner, but I couldn't!"

There was genuine regret in his eyes, Ginny could see it, and she felt the anger melt away as quickly as it came. In its place came a new feeling, one of indifference. She no longer cared what he had to say or why he was late; she just wanted to be alone, to lose herself in memories once again. She turned her back to him. "Leave," she whispered, "please, leave me alone."

She felt him hesitate. "Go," she said, forcefully this time. She didn't move as she heard his footsteps approaching her from behind and felt his arms snake around her waist. Harry kissed her lightly on the cheek she heard him sigh, and then, finally, he left the room, giving her the peace and quiet she needed.

The next morning, Ginny woke to the sun on her face. Blinking wearily, she looked at her watch and jump to her feet. It was already five o'clock. The girls in her dorm would be waking up in just half an hour. She nearly sprinted out of the room, but slowed when she reached the door to the hall. It was by no means too early for teachers to be roaming the halls. She opened the door carefully and peaked out. The coast was clear. She took off down the corridor.

When she finally reached the portrait hole, it was ten to. "Unity," she whispered to the Fat Lady.

"My dear," she said loudly, looking down at Ginny, "Isn't it a little late to be coming in for the night?"

"Yes, yes," Ginny hissed, "Now just let me in."

Clucking at her, the portrait opened. Ginny climbed through and raced up the stairs to the sixth year dormitory. Pausing at the door, she listened. Upon hearing nothing, a wave of relief swept over her. It wasn't like she was going to get in trouble because her dorm mates knew she stayed out all night, but they would ask questions, ones she didn't really want to answer.

Turning the handle as quietly as possible, she slipped into the room. All of the girls curtains were still drawn. However, as she went to open her own, she nearly screamed. "Lizzy!" She hissed, "What are you doing in my bed?"

Lizzy looked at her sympathetically. "Somehow I doubt you spent the entire night with Harry." She said quietly. "Even he isn't that stupid. What happened?"

Ginny sighed. "I really don't want to talk about it."

Lizzy opened her mouth, as if to pester her for details, but thought better of it. She nodded, "Okay," and climbed off Ginny's bed, "but Ginny, how long are you going to put up with his no shows?"

Ginny shook her head, smiling slightly. Lizzy could read her all too well. "I don't know." She climbed into her bed and drew the curtains around her.


	3. The Match

**Now, I am sorry about how long this chapter is. I think it is about twice the size of the last chapter. I just couldn't bring myself to split it and, I figure, you guys probably like the longer chapters, huh? Well, I hope so, because this is definitely one of them. **

**This chapter was fun to write and I hope you guys like it as much as I do. If you do, or even if you don't, please leave a review. I would love to hear from you, even if you are telling me it is the worst story ever written. I know a lot of you have read this, so just take 30 seconds to let me know what you think. Please!**

**I have to give credit to my cous on this one. She really helped me get through a couple tough spots. And since were doing that, I should also thank the rocks, and the beach, and the lake.....**

**Just Kidding! Here is the chapter!**

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**Chapter 3: The Match**

Ginny was picking at her food. She could hear the voices of her friends as they enjoyed their lunch, but she couldn't bring herself to eat. She was too tired. Gently massaging a kink out of her neck that had resurfaced from her cramped sleeping quarters from the night before, she yawned and sighed. She had no energy left and somehow she doubted it was only because of lack of sleep. Ron hadn't spoken to her in weeks and Hermione barely noticed her as they passed in the hall. Ginny knew it wasn't their fault; they were going through the same thing Harry was, but she still suffered from the withdrawal of her best friends. She had grown closer to those three in the last year than everyone except Lizzy, but she no longer felt like she new them. She sighed again and tried to focus on the conversation.

"He is totally still available," Des was saying with conviction, "I can tell by the way he walks. A taken guy, especially one of his league, walks as though he is being tortured."

"Whatever Des," Lauren said, "I can see by the way she looks at him, so arrogant and proud of herself. She has him safe in her clutches."

Ginny had no idea who they were talking about and soon tuned her friends out. A moment later, however, someone tapped her on the shoulder. Ginny looked up, startled out of her dozing.

"Ginny," It had been Lizzy that woke her, "We have the afternoon off today, so you and I are going to go do some flying. What do you say?"

Ginny looked at her friend thoughtfully. A change from the normal schedule of studying would be nice and it had been ages since she had flown. Quiditch had been cancelled this year because of You-Know-Who's reign and she thought a good fly might just clear her head a little bit. "You know?" She asked, finally breaking into a grin, "that may be the best idea I have heard in ages."

Lizzy chuckled and together they ran up to the dorms to get their brooms. They quickly walked back down to the Quiditch pitch. When they reached it, Ginny felt the first true smile forming on her face. She mounted her broom and kicked off, soaring through the sky. She felt the wind whip though her hair and she could feel her heart lift. A weight she didn't know existed fell from her shoulders, and for the first time in months, she felt like herself again. She laughed out loud and Lizzy, glad her friend had finally found some freedom, joined her. Ginny touched down and ran into the team locker rooms, grabbing the chest of balls from the storage closet. As she turned around from shutting the locker room door, she noticed some people standing at the edge of the field talking to Lizzy. She squinted, trying to see who had crashed their party. Then she noticed the tell tale short red hair and grinned. Walking over, she heard some of their conversation.

"Please guys," Lizzy was pleading, "I just got her to smile. She was actually enjoying herself. Could you please leave?"

Ron scowled, "Why should we make a difference to whether or not she has fun? We'll stay on the opposite side of the pitch if absolute need be."

Ginny set the balls down a yard or so behind Lizzy and just as she was about to open her mouth to argue further, Ginny slipped a hand over it. When Lizzy jumped, she chuckled. "I'm very glad to hear that you care so much about my happiness, but really, this should be fun. Let them join us!"

Lizzy turned to stare at her in disbelief, but quickly recovered. Looking thrilled, she hugged Ginny. "Oh good!"

She grabbed her broom and flew off, followed by Ron. Ginny bent down to get the Quaffle, but as she was opening the chest a pair of feet walked themselves to the other side. She looked up to see the owner. "Oh. Hi Harry." She whispered.

"Ginny," He said just as quiet as her, "I'm really sorry. I know I should have been there on time, or at least have let you know I would be late."

Ginny nodded slightly. "Yes, you should have, but it's okay. I'm over it now."

Harry smiled in relief.

"But promise me one thing."

His grin faded slightly, "Anything."

"Never do it again." She said, looking him direct in the eye.

"I won't. I promise."

Ginny smiled at him and stepped around the chest to hug him. As his arms wrapped tightly around her waist she sighed. It was nice to finally be back on good terms with him. However, as their lips met in their first kiss in over a week, she noticed something missing. She supposed it would take a little while to get used to actually wanting to kiss each other again. Her heart warmed as she realized it was their first heartfelt kiss in a very long time.

She broke off the kiss and grabbed the Quaffle. Kicking off on her broom, she yelled over her shoulder, "Bet Lizzy and I can beat you and Ron!" and took off toward the goalposts.

Half an hour later, Ginny and Lizzy were winning 60-40. Lizzy, although never having played Quiditch before in her life, was actually a surprisingly good chaser. Although Harry and Ron both played Quiditch, they were only good at seeker and keeper respectively. Besides, Ginny knew where her brother's weak spots were.

Harry shot toward the girls' goal and Lizzy and Ginny raced to get between him and the goalposts. Getting there, they faced him. Harry threw the Quaffle as hard as he could toward the right goalpost. Ginny reached out and caught it with ease.

"No fair!" Harry yelled, pretending to pout. "It was two against one!"

Suddenly they heard slow and deliberate clapping. "Well, well," a voice sneered, "somebody bested Perfect Potter! What a surprise!"

Ginny looked down to see a blonde head leading four others. She groaned and steered her broom to land in front of him.

"What are you doing here Malfoy?" She hissed.

"Well, it was a Weasley that beat him too." He continued with a smirk. "Now that really is a surprise."

Ginny started forward but Lizzy, who had just landed behind her, grabbed her arm. Ginny looked at her and Lizzy shook her head.

"Malfoy!" Harry shouted from across the field. "Get off the pitch. We were here first!"

"So?" He sneered. "We come here nearly every day. You could basically call this our pitch."

A tall girl with very long blonde hair stepped up to Malfoy and whispered something in his ear. Ginny eyed her with distaste. She was nearly as skinny as the broom in her hand. She wore black makeup that stood out drastically against her pale complexion and stick straight hair. It reached to her waist with no layers, only bangs cut straight across her eyebrows. Her look was severe, and, had Ginny not known that Malfoy was an only child, she would have thought her his sister.

In response to her comment in his ear, Malfoy turned to look at the other people behind him. One was Pansy Parkinson. It was the first time Ginny had seen her that year, and she was surprised. Her once long black hair had been chopped off severely at her chin, making her mocking smile stand out all the more. The other two boys Ginny didn't recognize. One had black hair and was scowling while the other had brown hair, and, although he wasn't smiling, he didn't look cruel. Ginny shook it off as nonsense however. They were Slytherins after all.

Seeming satisfied with his crew, Malfoy turned back around. "You know Serina?" he asked, "that was actually a very, very good idea."

Ginny felt the others tense behind her.

"We challenge you to a game of Quiditch," He continued, "Whoever wins gets the field for the rest of the week. Whoever loses must leave whenever they are asked."

Ginny looked at her friends. They seemed to be waiting for her to make the first move. Ron looked as if he was about to leap on Malfoy, but Harry's hand on his arm held him back. Turning back around Ginny was about to agree, when she noticed a significant problem with their teams.

"You need to get rid of someone." She said. "If you do that, it's a deal."

He scowled, obviously having hoped we wouldn't notice. "Fine," he hissed, "Pansy, go watch."

"What?" she screeched, "Why me?"

"Because you're absolutely hopeless at Quiditch." He said simply.

She huffed, "Fine! Well, we're over now! Don't even think about coming near me ever again!" She stomped off to sit in the stands.

"She'll be back in my room by," Malfoy looked at his watch, "four o'clock. It's not like we were ever really dating anyway." He was muttering to Serina. "One kiss when you're drunk and she seems to think you love her."

Serina chuckled as he slipped his arm around her waist. "Now," she said in a sweet voice, "Where were we?"

They all mounted and the game started. They each had three chasers and a keeper. Ron was theirs; the brown haired boy was Malfoy's. There were no seekers and no beaters, but there was only one rule: the first one to 100 wins.

Ginny felt fierce determination ripping though her as she dived, looped, and swerved as she avoided the Slytherins' nasty jabs. Of course, she made some of her own. She scored the first goal, followed closely by Malfoy. After a particularly nasty block by Serina that nearly knocked her out of the air, she realized that this was serious, way more serious than she had previously taken it. Suddenly, she really wished Harry was a Chaser and Lizzy actually played Quiditch. As good as Lizzy was doing for a beginner, Ginny was still the only one her team could truly rely on. Malfoy's team, however, was a bit better equipped. It seemed that both Serina and the black haired boy were experienced at chaser and Malfoy was pretty good, for a seeker. After two more goals by the Slytherins, Ginny realized that she needed to do some scoring, and fast. Swerving under Lizzy, she called for the ball. Lizzy dropped it and Ginny caught it, ducking the black haired boy in the process. She darted forward and threw the ball to the left goalpost. She scored and her team cheered. She scored three more times before the Slytherins scored again.

Finally, when it was 70-60, Lizzy scored for the first time, tying up the game. All four of them screamed and cheered for her while the Slytherins scowled. Malfoy started the ball again and Ginny shot at him, completely intending to knock him off his broom. However, he saw her coming and dropped sharply, successfully dodging her, but dropping the Quaffle in the process. Harry flew beneath him and grabbed the Quaffle, finally getting his first score.

When it was 90-90 all nerves were on end. Ginny could feel the tension between the two teams. Every time they came in contact with each other, curses could be heard, often screamed loud enough to be heard in the castle. The field was chaos. Somewhere behind her she heard Lizzy yell.

"Shit!" followed closely by, "Ginny! Watch out!"

She whipped around to see Serina barreling toward her. "Fuck." She hissed, and shot straight up. Only after she was ten feet above the girl, did she realize that Serina had the Quaffle. "Ron!" She shouted. "Be ready!"

But it was too late. The Quaffle had just gone through the center goalpost. The Slytherin team surrounded Serina, cheering and hugging her. Pansy ran out to join them. Ginny and her team drifted together into the middle.

"Sorry guys." Ron said, disgusted with himself, "that was all my fault."

Ginny shook her head. "No it's not. I didn't stop her when I could have."

"And I dropped the Quaffle." Lizzy pointed out.

Ron just shook his head as they drifted down to the ground. Malfoy was waiting for them. "Well." He sneered, "I think it goes without saying, but we won! So, leave."

They scowled, but obeyed. Looking back, Ginny saw Malfoy turn back to his team. Pulling her wand out of her robes, she sent a curse at his back and as his legs started tap dancing she laughed out loud and took off running, pulling the rest of the team along with her.

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**I want to add one more thing. There is some sort of strong language in this. I want you to know that this is not common for me, I normally don't use f**k ever, but I wanted to express the tension of the situation and that seemed like a good way to get the point across. If I offended anyone, I am very sorry. **

**Myzoey88**

**Update 9/19/09: I'm sorry about how long it has taken to get chapter 4 up, but with school starting and then I had an exchange student from Germany for two weeks, I've been super busy. Now that everything has calmed down, I will be posting soon. I promise!**


	4. Back to Old Times

**Right….so sorry doesn't really cut it, does it? Gosh, I'm so sorry. I don't really have an excuse for how long this has taken. I've had it finished for a few days now too…..thanks JulieMalfoyZabini for hitting me between the eyes with how long it's actually been, I kind of needed that. **

**Chapter 4: Back to Old Times**

Ginny, Lizzy, Harry, and Ron stood in the entrance hall, laughing. Sure, they may have just lost a game of Quiditch to Slytherins, but they got their revenge.

"It's a little strange that all of us happened to want to play Quiditch at the same time," Ginny noted, still giggling.

"Hermione heard you and Lizzy talking at lunch and suggested that Ron and I fly a bit too," Harry said simply.

"And you heard that git," Ron sneered, "We come here nearly every day. You could basically call this our pitch." His mimicking sent everybody into new fits of laughter. They drifted toward the great hall for dinner, trying to control themselves.

"Mr. Potter! Mr. Weasley!" A stern voice yelled down the marble staircase. They all turned to look, their laughing stopping abruptly. Professor McGonagall was coming down the stairs, eyes narrowed. She did not look happy. "Why were the two of you not in my class this afternoon?" She asked. "You look perfectly healthy! You must be to have been out flying!" She pointed to their brooms. "What do you have to say for yourselves?"

Harry and Ron looked at each other, shamefaced, and struggled to come up with a believable excuse. Ginny tried unsuccessfully to hold back a laugh and it came out a snort. The professor ignored her. Seeing that they were not going to come up with something, her scowl deepened. "Come with me you too."

She turned to walk back up the stairs, Harry and Ron following her glumly. "Oh." She called back of her shoulder, "and Miss Grant, I believe you have detention in five minutes. You should probably get moving or risk being late."

Lizzy groaned and turned to Ginny, "Sorry!" she said, "I was caught passing notes in Ancient Runes."

Ginny laughed, "Have fun!" only to have Lizzy glare at her as she walked away.

Ginny entered the great hall alone. She surveyed the room, trying to decide where to sit. She could go sit with Des, but she didn't really feel in the right mood to hear nonstop gossip about the seventh year boys. Then she noticed Luna sitting alone at the Ravenclaw table. Ginny smiled and walked over. Taking a seat across from Luna, she said, "Hey Luna."

"Hello Ginny." Luna said airily. "I was just thinking about you. I was starting to wonder if the crumple horn snort stack had gotten you!"

Ginny laughed. "No," she said, "I'm perfectly alright thank you. I've just been, well, preoccupied."

Luna nodded in understanding, "Isn't everyone these days? With You-Know-Who in power, everyone is preoccupied." She took a bite of food and continued, "Ever since Professor Dumbledore died people have been worrying themselves to death. The other day the Quibbler published an article about a man that died from over worrying himself."

Ginny smiled indulgently. "Well, I think I'm going to be alright."

"That's good!"

There was silence for a while as the two girls ate.

"Where are the others?" Luna asked eventually.

"Well, apparently Harry and Ron skipped transfiguration to go flying and Professor McGonagall saw the four of us coming in from the pitch." Ginny told her, smirking. "I bet you can guess how that went over! And Lizzy was caught passing notes in Ancient Runes, so she has detention."

"That is quite the stroke of bad luck!" Luna commented with a slight whistle. "What were the four of you doing together anyway? I heard you and Harry have been having some problems."

"Well, yes, we were." Ginny still felt lifted from the Quiditch game and decided that she could handle telling the truth. "Harry has just been so busy lately. He doesn't have time for me and he will never tell me what he is talking about. Sometimes he has even told me to leave because he needs to talk to Ron and Hermione about something."

Luna was thoughtful, "you do realize that it isn't his fault, right? It seems to me like this is something he really can't tell anyone or endanger whatever operation he's dealing with."

"I know," Ginny sighed. "I just really wish it was different. I really can't blame him for that. It's the forgetting about dates and not having enough energy to care about how I'm feeling that I have a problem with. At times he has acted like I have a perfect life and I'm so carefree. It's almost like he hasn't paid enough attention to me to realize that I'm having a hard time with this war too. My family is out there risking their lives every day and I have to sit here being a good girl and doing my studies." Ginny felt her elation evaporating as she spoke. The Quiditch game had merely been a distraction from what was really going on in her life. She groaned softly and laid her head gently on her arms in desperation. After a few moments she felt a soft, small hand slip into hers. A slight squeeze made her look up into Luna's bright eyes. Ginny smiled wryly, "I'm sorry. I didn't really answer your question, did I?"

Luna smiled at her and shook her head. "No," she said, "you didn't. But that's okay. You needed to let everything out. It is bad to keep everything bottled up inside."

"You're right. Thanks for listening Luna."

"It's no problem Ginny."

The two girls had been silent for some time when the doors to the great hall opened. Ginny was picking at her food, lost in thought about her family, and didn't bother to look up until she felt a body plunk down on either side of her. She glanced at the two boys, both looking disgruntled, and she knew McGonagall had not gone easy on them. She went back to her food, for once not really caring to hear what punishments her friends had gotten. Then, to her surprise, she felt a strong arm snake around her waist and pull her close the boy on her right. She felt Harry's breath on her ear as he whispered, "Ginny, what's wrong?"

Ginny felt herself relax into his side. "I was just thinking about my family," she whispered back.

Harry brought his other arm around her and pulled her even closer to his chest. She could hear his heart beat and his familiar warmth enveloped her. She allowed it to soak into her skin, right down to her core where it helped to warm some of the sorrow and fear there. Harry didn't say a word, but he didn't need to. Ginny knew he understood. After all, was it not similar to what he had been living through for years?

Suddenly, something dawned on her and she giggled.

Harry looked down at her, surprised. "What?" he asked.

Ginny grinned, "I just realized that for once, Ron didn't interrupt the moment."

The comment brought an indignant "Hey!" from Ron and a chuckle from the other two people at the table.

"Ginny, what do you say to a small date Friday night?" Harry asked with a grin. "I think it's about time we spent some time together."

"I would love that!" Ginny said as she relaxed back into his arms. "Just no war talk, ok?"

"Deal."

"I don't know! Lauren, which do you think is better, the purple or the green?"

"Ginny! Every one of us has told you the green. Just put it on already!" Lauren grabbed the green shirt from Ginny's hands and shoved it over her head.

"Lauren!" Des screeched from her bed. "I spent forever on her hair! You're messing it up!"

Jackie, standing at the mirror next to Ginny, rolled her eyes. "Des, you put so much hairspray on that even if we straight ironed it, it wouldn't straighten out." The green shirt was finally completely on Ginny and she straightened it without help from Lauren. Jackie took one look and gave a tug on the front, pulling it down an inch.

"Hey!" Ginny scolded her and pulled it back up.

"Ginny! Come on!" Des said. "It's Harry! He's not going to try anything, and even if he does I'm sure he'll stop when you ask him to; if you ask him too." She smirked and Ginny launched a pillow across the room.

A laugh came from the bathroom. "Lighten up Ginny! We all know you're not going to do anything."

"Hey!"

Lizzy stuck her head out of the bathroom. "Oh! So you are going to do something?"

Ginny groaned. "No!" She said with a scowl. "We are not going to do anything! I can't say anything right tonight!"

Lizzy stepped out of the bathroom with her arms full of makeup. Depositing it on the desk she turned to Ginny. "Close your eyes." She started applying eyeliner. "You really do need to lighten up. Tonight is going to go great! You and Harry are – keep your eyes closed – perfect for each other, and now that you aren't fighting any more you should have a wonderful time."

Ginny smiled. "You're probably right Lizzy. Thanks."

"There, all done." Lizzy proclaimed. "You're ready to go, and it looks like in perfect time. You're meeting Harry at eight, right?" Ginny nodded. "Then you need to get going!" Lizzy screeched. She pushed Ginny to the door. "Go; have an amazing time; we'll see you in the morning!"

"Bye guys."

Lizzy closed the door with a sigh and turned to the room. "Cross your fingers he shows up," she said to nods of agreement.

**Right, so I know better than to promise anything, so I'm just going to say I'll try my hardest to get another chapter posted very soon. **

**~myzoey88~**


	5. The Date

**Wow, fast! I've surprised myself. I really should stick with this no promises thing. I was pushing through writer's block on this one. Please let me know how I did on Harry. Is he out of character at all?**

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****Chapter 5: The Date**

Ginny crawled up through the trapdoor, very glad she had decided not to wear high heels. As she finally managed to pull herself up into the Honeyduke's cellar, Harry dropped the trapdoor into the floor. He turned to look at her and grinned. He carefully reached over and brushed the dirt from her hair. Ginny grumbled.

"Stupid tunnel."

Harry laughed. "You wanted to come here too! It wasn't all my decision."

Ginny just rolled her eyes. "I'm still blaming it on you. Now, come on, let's go. We don't have very long before they close."

They snuck carefully from behind the counter and headed out to the cool street. Ginny shivered and wrapped her arms tighter around herself. Harry noticed her shivering and pulled her close. They hurried down the street and into The Three Broomsticks. It was not very busy, which surprised Ginny since it was a Friday night. Harry led her to a small table in the corner that wasn't visible from the street.

"What would you like to drink?" Harry asked.

Ginny's eyes sparkled as she answered, "A Fire Whiskey."

Harry gave her a disapproving look. "Ginny, you're underage. They won't sell it to you."

Ginny grinned sweetly at him. "No," she said smoothly, "but they'll sell it to you."

Harry didn't look convinced. "I really don't want to have to try to get you back to the castle drunk," he told her bluntly, "Snape would kill you if he caught us."

Ginny flopped on a bench seat and pulled Harry down next to her. She cuddled up close to him, even going so far as to place her hand lightly on his thigh. She put on her best puppy dog face and whispered in his ear, "I promise I won't get drunk. Just one, please?"

Harry gazed down at her, looking just slightly tortured. "Oh, alright," he said, pulling from her side, "but just this once."

Harry wove off through the empty tables and came back minutes later with two Fire Whiskeys in his hands. Ginny eagerly took one from him and cautiously took a sip. The liquid burned as it went down her throat, but it sent a warm tingling through her body. She shuddered and once again curled up close to Harry's side.

They sat there for a long time, just sipping their drinks and talking lightly. Ginny was happy, but she was surprised by how much catching up they had to do. With no Quiditch and separate classes and homework, they barely talked. They just seemed to walk in different circles, or at least Harry walked in circles. Ginny thought she walked in a completely strait line; unfortunately, it was one that didn't intersect Harry's circle. They grew silent and Ginny fell to contemplating their relationship. It wasn't until she noticed how dark it was outside, did she remember a secondary reason for choosing to come to Hogsmeade, the first being to get out from under the eyes of Snape.

"Oh!" she exclaimed suddenly. "I need to get Lizzy a birthday present!"

Harry looked at his watch. "We better get going then," he said. "It's almost nine and most places close at nine thirty these days."

Ginny bounced up pulled Harry up as well. "Let's go," she said, "Her birthday is next week and I won't have another chance to get her anything."

Harry swung his arm over her shoulder and they carefully made their way out into the blustery weather. Unfortunately it had gotten much colder than when they first arrived and Ginny was shivering uncontrollably about thirty seconds after leaving the Three Broomsticks. Harry pulled her closer and they hurried across the street to the bookstore.

"How about you just get Lizzy something here," Harry said, almost pleadingly.

Ginny looked at him scornfully. "Yes, Lizzy does like books, but I wouldn't get her a book for her birthday," Ginny snapped. "That would be sorta lame."

"Well, sorry." Ginny could hear the sarcasm in his voice and bristled. "How exactly am I supposed to know that?"

"Maybe you could actually use that brain of yours and," Ginny started, but caught herself. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped like that."

Harry slipped his arms gently around her waist. "That's alright," he said quietly. "No damage done."

"Good." Ginny smiled, another fight was diverted. "Now, I would like to get her something from the spa store down the street." She led Harry to the window and pointed down the street to the store she was referring to. To Harry's dismay, it was very far down the road and opposite the direction of Honeydukes.

He sighed. "Very well."

They headed toward the door when Ginny thought of something. "I'll race you there," she challenged with a sly grin. Harry looked slightly confused, but agreed.

Ginny opened the door and bolted out, Harry on her heels. He quickly caught up so he was running beside her. Ginny reveled in the wind in her hair and light footsteps on the pavement. She had always loved running and when she was younger her dad had told her all about muggle sports, making her wish she was a muggle. That was a phase that didn't last long, due to the teasing from a multitude of older brothers.

Before she knew it they had arrived at the store, called Daisy's Salon and Spa. Harry reached the door first and held it open for Ginny and they both stopped inside the door, laughing.

"Wow," Harry gasped. "Ginny, you are a genius. I wasn't cold at all."

Ginny just grinned at him and set off between the isles, still breathing hard. She stopped at the lotions and something caught her eye. It was a set of lotions that changed scents according to the preferences of the wearer on that particular day. She felt Harry come up behind her and she turned slightly to him.

"Do you think she would like this," Ginny asked, pointing to the basket. "It has body lotion, hand cream, face moisturizer, and foot cream. It changes scents based on the wearer's preferences."

Harry looked at her blankly. "One," he started, "I have no clue why you would need a separate lotion for each body part, and two, why are you asking me? I have no clue what Lizzy would like."

Ginny laughed. "You're right," she said with a grin, "about the not knowing what Lizzy would like part, but about the different lotions? Well, each body part is made of different type of skin and has different moisturizing needs based on that skin. For example, you need to be careful with what you put on your face or you'll end up breaking out horribly. It needs to be very gentle. However, if you used the same lotion you use for your face on your feet it would do absolutely nothing because the skin on your feet is so tough."

Ginny had been examining more gift baskets while explaining and when she looked up Harry she nearly burst out laughing. He was standing there with his mouth hanging open, gaping at her.

"Umm," he said slowly, amazed. "I'm glad I'm not a girl."

Ginny actually laughed as she grabbed the basket of lotions from the shelf and headed toward the checkout counter. "If you were a girl, you would love it," she told him and laughed once again at the look of disbelief on his face. "You have no idea what you are missing out on."

Harry just shook his head slowly as Ginny paid for the basket and shared a look with the girl behind the counter. She grabbed the package and pulled Harry out of the store. Together they dashed back to Honeyduke's and snuck behind the counter and back down the trapdoor.

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**Okay, so what do you think? And I'm not giving away any pairings for this story, so you'll have to wait and find out. I will tell you this though; it is not someone I have created. Or, in other words, it is one of JKR's characters (which I own none of btw). **

**~myzoey88~**


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